I Am Having Migraines Almost Every Day; Certainly More Days Than Not.

Question

My neurologist is at a loss; I take 2 antiseizure medications daily, and have the usual meds too. Anyone else have this problem?

I have sumatriptan and vicoprofen (15/month only), and I use a very limited amount of naproxen or ibuprofen, even in cold medicines. I have to get shots at Urgent Care; I've been getting icepick migraines recently, and the shots don't last even a week. The neurologist has offered a second opinion, and has offered Botox, but most I've talked to have said it probably isn't worth it. This is now interfering with my job and my home life.

Answer

Hi emmie,

Having Migraine pain nearly every day is not good, I'm sorry to hear you are going through this.

I noticed you see a neurologist and I'm sure he is a fine doctor, but it may be time for another set of eyes to take a look at you. It is difficult for neurologist to be experts in one area because they treat so many different diseases like MS, stroke and epilepsy. A Migraine specialist is just that, an expert who treats one disease - ours- Migraines and headaches. It's important to note that neurologists aren't necessarily Migraine and headache specialists. Take a look at the article Migraine and Headache Specialists - What's So Special?If you need help finding a Migraine specialist, check our listing of Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache S

An accurate diagnosis is vital for Migraine managment. A Migraine specialist may be able to help with this.

Trigger identification and management is a vital component of managing Migraine disease. One of the best tools for identifying triggers is a good Migraine diary. You can download a free diary workbook from our article Your Migraine and Headache Diary. Some of us have food triggers; some of us don't. It's advisable to determine if you do, an elimination diet is the best way to do that. For more information and a workbook on this, see Managing Migraine - Migraine Trigger Foods. Also sleep issues are very common Migraine triggers:

• too little sleep
• too much sleep
• disrupted sleep
• irregular sleep schedule
• poor quality sleep
Even if you're sleeping long enough, it may not be good quality sleep. You can get more information in Migraines, Headaches, and Sleep: Video.

This is one of the most difficult questions and difficult situations facing Migraineurs. To stop medication overuse headache (MOH), aka rebound, we have to stop taking the medication(s) causing it. Unfortunately, we can't substitute other medications to do that because MOH can be caused by pretty much anything we take to treat a Migraine, AND it can be caused by taking different types of medications too frequently. So, that means that even alternating types of medication can result in MOH if we treat Migraines more than two or three days a week. You can read more about MOH in Medication Overuse Headache: When the Remedy Backfires.